Serious Inquiries Only

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Join Thomas for some critical thinking on questions of science, philosophy, skepticism and politics. These serious topics are discussed with some serious guests, but in an entertaining and engaging way! This is not your typical interview podcast; it’s a friendly dialogue, conducted thoughtfully and with plenty of humor. It's Serious Inquiries Only; but like, not boring or anything.

SIO499: Trump Is Weaponizing Government Against Political Enemies. Nick Fish, President of American Atheists, on How to Be Prepared
In late September, shortly after declaring antifa a "domestic terrorist", Trump issued a memorandum directing the IRS to investigate tax-exempt organizations that could be "directly or indirectly financing political violence or domestic terrorism" and...
SIO498: The Science of Hallucinations, Ear-worms, and Phantom Limbs
Dr. Jenessa Seymour is on to teach us more about the brain! What do hallucinations, ear-worms, and phantom limbs have in common? And is "hallucinating" really a good term for what AI does when it makes something up?
SIO497: The Mamdani Machine Exposed! Part 2
Part 2 of Asra Nomani's insanely terrible . Make sure you listened to part 1! This is big, folks. Think Watergate combined with Deflate-gate combined with Christina Applegate combined with the Bowling Green Massacre. THAT's how big of a scandal this...
SIO496: Asra Nomani Has EXPOSED the Mamdani Machine!
Part 1. This is big, folks. Think Watergate combined with Deflate-gate combined with Christina Applegate combined with the Bowling Green Massacre. THAT's how big of a scandal this is. You thought Zohran Mamdani was just an innocent 34 year old...
SIO495: Can AI Chatbots Make You Delusional? A Psychologist Explains
Stormy Decisis AKA Dr. Alan Smerbeck is back! With multiple stories in the news of AI Chatbots potentially driving people to delusion or psychosis, Stormy wanted to explain to us what's going on and what the actual differences are between psychosis,...
SIO494: Autism and ADHD, Part 2
***This is a two-parter. Listen to part 1! Previously, the leading theory was that kids with autism and/or ADHD had mental health struggles due to emotional regulation issues or other direct elements of their neurodivergence. But what if it's actually...
SIO493: Kids with ADHD/Autism Struggle with Mental Health. New Study Says Maybe It's the Stress of Being Different
Previously, the leading theory was that kids with autism and/or ADHD had mental health struggles due to emotional regulation issues or other direct elements of their neurodivergence. But what if it's actually that they have to deal with more stressors...
SIO492: How Radicalized Was Kirk's Killer, Really?
Part 2 of my thoughts and observations based on all the info I could gather on Tyler Robinson. I think there's an aspect to him that isn't being emphasized enough that might help explain why he did what he did.
SIO491: What Do We Actually Know About Tyler Robinson? Why Did He Kill Charlie Kirk?
The public has gone through several phases of evolution on what the shooter's motive was. At first, it was assumed he was a leftwing terrorist. Then it seemed clear he was on the right. Or maybe nihilist. Then, the charging documents were released....
SIO490: The "Leaky Pipeline" of Academia
Dr. Bryan Gillis is back after far too long! But instead of space, he's here to talk about the problems in academia that lead to women and minority groups being underrepresented at astonishing and depressing levels.
SIO489: TikTok Banned #Skinnytok and It Was Right to Do So
Dr. Jenessa Seymour joins to discuss why TikTok's move here is aligned with what we know about eating disorders from the literature, and what happens when the internet doesn't draw a line like this. Are you an expert in something and want to be on the...
SIO488: She Filmed Her Harassment and It Went Viral on TikTok
Lydia and I invite one of our good friends, Holly, to share her recent viral story of harassment at a public park in Glendale, California. We discuss what happened that day, the spread and impact of the video, as well as the broader issue at hand and...
SIO487: How Close Is Iran Actually To Nuclear Weapons?
We had like, a mini war over Iran's nuclear situation and it is barely even a memory in today's news cycle. But what happened there? Did Iran have nuclear weapons? What does it take for them to make some? Was Obama's Iran Nuclear Deal good? And what...
SIO486: Good News! According to The Economist, College Is Totally Affordable!
... what? Yep that's right. They say there is no college affordability crisis. And I guess then, presumably no student debt crisis as well? You can , and/or you can sit back and let Dr. Jenessa Seymore break down why this article is so... incorrect....
SIO485: It's Not Rocket Science
Part 2: The Data Dr. Jenessa Seymour continues her breakdown of the supposed voting discrepancies that a New York organization has "discovered". Her expertise in statistics gets the spotlight in this episode! Be sure to check out the ! Are you an...
SIO484: Lawsuit Alleges Voting Irregularities in 2024. Is There Any There There?
Part 1: The Legal Stuff Dr. Jenessa Seymour is here to break down something that even our moms are spreading on social media: a group in New York claims to have uncovered discrepancies in the vote count for the 2024 election, and they're suing over...
SIO483: Jordan Peterson Debated a Bunch of Atheists. So... How Did That Go? Part 2
We're going to take a look at Jordan Peterson's debate techniques and his arguments for God and have some fun along the way!
SIO482: Jordan Peterson Debated a Bunch of Atheists. So... How Did That Go?
We're going to take a look at Jordan Peterson's debate techniques and his arguments for God and have some fun along the way!
SIO481: Ok What Was the Deal With the Direwolves
Was that whole thing legitimate? Was it BS? Or something in between? Dr. Eric Jaffe is the perfect expert to give us the objective facts on this and help us understand everything going on!
SIO480: Abortion Legislation Gets Embryonic Terminology and Facts All Wrong
Inspired by an Opening Arguments episode during the heartbeat bills, and soon-to-be-Dr. Rachel Feltman embarked on research where they collated "facts" from abortion legislation across the country and examined its medical/anatomical accuracy and...

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